Three days before New Year's Eve, Nico received a text from Jason.
Hey Nico. Piper and I are having a New Year's Eve party at our apartment. We'd love it if you could come. You can bring someone if you want. The more the merrier!
Nico's eyes skimmed the text quickly, his brain going to work. Jason, inviting him to a party? A flash of anger rippled through him. The last time Jason had invited him to a party, the consequences had been deadly. An involuntary shiver rushed down his spine, one which he tried to ignore. He knew he was being stupid. There was no way that the same thing would happen this time. There was no way it could happen.
He put the phone in his pocket and almost immediately it buzzed again, signaling a new message. He let out a small sigh of annoyance. Only recently he had started communicating with people via cell phone, and he still hadn't gotten quite used to it.
With a start he saw that it was a message from Will. His annoyance dissipated immediately.
Hey Nico. It's me, Will. Dammit I keep forgetting you have my number in your contacts. Of course you know it's me. Anyway. I'm back in town now and I was wondering if you want to do anything for New Year's Eve? Do you already have plans?
Nico felt a flutter of warmth inside him as he read Will's words. Will, who undoubtedly had tons of friends, wanted to spend time with him on New Year's Eve. Him, of all people.
Nico paused for a second before typing a reply.
My friend Jason invited me to a party he's having at his place, but he said I could bring someone. Would you want to go?
Nico hit send before he could think better of it. He desperately hoped he wasn't making a mistake.
The seconds ticked by and Nico could feel the anxiety creeping over his skin like a layer of frost. Will probably won't respond any time soon, he assured himself. He's probably busy, doing whatever a normal person does. He's probably—
This train of thought was halted abruptly when his phone buzzed, bright with a message.
From Will.
That sounds like fun! I'd love to go the party with you. Are you talking about Jason Grace, by chance?
Nico read the text, a wave of relief passing over him. Will hadn't rejected his offer. Phew.
With difficulty, Nico texted Jason to say that he would be coming to his party and that Will would be accompanying him. He could practically see Jason's knowing look and resisted the urge to add seriously, we're just friends, to the end of the message. He knew that that would just make it worse.
Almost immediately Jason responded, saying that he was thrilled that Nico would be going to the party. It's going to be great, trust me, he assured. This message was followed by three winking emoticons, which Nico did his best to ignore.
As New Year's Eve crept closer, Nico couldn't help but start to worry. What if the party was just couples? Maybe that's what Jason had meant when he said that Nico could bring someone. If so, had he just implied that he and Will were a couple? The thought made his face blotchy with crimson. Even worse, what if everyone else at the party brought a date, leaving him and Will to be together?
The thoughts made his head spin. He couldn't believe he hadn't considered these things before he had hurriedly invited Will to the party. It wasn't that he didn't like Will; he just didn't know him very well. And to be thrown into a social situation like that…
Nico vowed that from now on, he would put a bit more thought into things like this.
HA HA. The next few chapter were my favorite to write ;) What do you think will happen at the party?
-Sid